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The digital landscape is changing nonstop, but one thing that remains constant is the importance of search engine optimization or SEO. Whether you’re a Fortune 1000 company or a startup just looking to get your name out there, SEO is the cornerstone of long-term digital success. When done correctly, SEO is a complex integration of strategies that takes experience and attention to detail. Thus, many businesses outsource their digital marketing efforts to SEO agencies.
With so many SEO agencies out there, it can be nearly impossible to narrow it down to just one choice. The importance of choosing a reputable SEO agency cannot be overemphasized enough, as they will be responsible for improving your site’s rankings, increasing organic traffic, and ultimately driving revenue and your return on interest. In this blog, we’ll explore key factors you should consider when selecting an SEO agency, whether you’re operating on a national, local, or corporate level.
The Importance of SEO
Before getting into the details of what to look for and avoid in an SEO agency, it is important to understand how exactly SEO translates into a high return on investment for your business. Below are just a few of the benefits of employing an SEO agency.
Increased Visibility and Credibility
SEO helps your website appear prominently in search engine results pages, known as SERPs. Increased visibility is essential for attracting potential customers and outperforming your competition online.
Think of the last time you searched for a good or service on the internet. Chances are, you avoided the ads and went to the top organic results on the page. SEO helps show consumers that you are a credible source by ranking your site at the top of search engine results.
Higher-Quality Leads with Long-Term Savings
SEO not only brings more organic traffic to your site but also attracts visitors searching specifically for products or services that your business offers. This targeted traffic is more likely to convert into higher-quality and more sustainable leads.
SEO has proven time and time again to garner a much higher return on interest in the long term than paid advertising efforts. While PPC advertising might generate leads now, SEO will generate leads over a longer period of time and for a lower cost.
National SEO: Factors to Consider When Marketing to the Masses
National SEO emphasizes web optimization with the goal of reaching a broad audience across an entire country. For businesses looking to enhance their digital presence at the national level, you should ensure that your SEO agency offers the following.
Opt For Experience, Expertise, and Strong Technical Support
Given the size and scale of national SEO campaigns, ranking for keywords at the national level can be quite competitive. Make sure your SEO agency boasts qualified marketing experts who are well-versed in the latest industry practices and can provide case studies that demonstrate success in SEO at the national level.
SEO is very much dependent on the state of your website, and technical issues can absolutely derail and delay progress. Look for an SEO agency that provides top-of-the-line technical support, including website structure, site speed, mobile-friendliness, schema, and other factors.
Seek Comprehensive SEO Strategies and High-Quality Content
When competing at the national level to rank for keywords, there is no room for cutting corners. Your SEO agency should offer keyword research, on-page optimization, content marketing, link building, performance monitoring, and reporting in order to ensure a maximum return on your investment.
At its core, SEO is ultimately a content-based marketing strategy. In order to remain competitive in SERPs, your website’s content needs to contain informative content that drives consumers into your pipeline as well as maintains the standards needed to show at the top of results. Choose an SEO agency that employs a team of dedicated writers who are well-versed in the latest industry practices.
Keeps an Open Line of Communication with Results That Speak For Themselves
Open and transparent communication is key to a successful partnership. Your SEO agency should provide consistent updates on progress, provide access to a dedicated account manager, and explain their strategies and tactics in a way that you can understand and work toward achieving your business goals.
Don’t just take their word for it! Reputable SEO agencies can provide case studies and other documentation of past successful national SEO campaigns. Client references can also be helpful resources for gaining insights into an SEO agency’s level of success. Chances are, an agency that has garnered a high ROI for similar companies can do the same for yours.
Local SEO: Picking an Agency to Dominate Your Backyard
The name of the game with local SEO is to take control of the search engine results for your industry in a specific geographic region. This proves vital, specifically for small businesses looking to generate more leads and brand awareness in their area. Whether you’re a restaurant, a plumbing service, a local bank, or anything in between, it is essential that your SEO agency display the below qualities.
Takes a Holistic Approach to Local SEO and Google Maps
Local SEO is the culmination of many factors on a company’s website that ultimately drive sales within a targeted region. Your SEO agency should utilize items such as Google Business, Yelp, Google Reviews, and other local citations that increase your company’s visibility in the area.
Having your business as a location on Google Maps is simply not enough to drive the kind of return on investment you’re looking for in SEO. A reputable SEO agency will optimize your Google Maps profile so that consumers can easily find your business at the top of the results page.
Possess Skills in Reputation Management, Mobile Optimization, and Local Link Building
Studies show that 85% of consumers trust online reviews just as much as they do a personal recommendation. A top SEO agency will work to shine more light on positive online impressions of your business as well as work to negate and address the negative ones.
As our world becomes increasingly mobile, it is critical that your business stay with the times and build its marketing strategy around mobile consumers. Ensure that your SEO agency optimizes your website so that you don’t miss out on countless mobile leads and potential customers.
Backlinking is a critical aspect of SEO, but building links on a national level is much different than doing so on a local level. Check that your SEO agency has experience building high-quality links to local websites that will enhance your company’s local reach.
Holds Experience in Your Industry with Proven Results
It is immensely helpful to work with an SEO agency that has experience in an industry similar to yours. These agencies are much more likely to understand your business goals as well as be able to provide evidence of past success in the form of case studies and client testimonials.
Your SEO agency should provide clear and concise reports on your SEO efforts on a consistent basis. By doing so, you are better able to understand how your investment is being used as well as view the statistical success, or lack thereof, of your campaign. A reputable SEO agency will maintain a clear line of communication in terms of any questions you may have about your campaigns.
Corporate SEO: Choosing the Right SEO Agency For Your Large Business
For large corporations, SEO can be immensely complicated, with a plethora of websites, products, services, and markets to serve. Because of this, corporations specifically need to be very diligent in choosing an SEO agency. Be sure to look for the following when selecting your SEO agency.
Experience in Corporate Enterprise with Maintenance of Quality
At the corporate level, chances are you’re not willing to take the risk on an SEO agency with no experience with a company of your size and scale. Be sure that you do your homework by asking for examples of past work with corporate clients in industries similar to yours.
With so many moving parts that make up a corporate marketing plan, it is easy for quality to worsen when growing your company. Look for an SEO agency that stresses the importance of consistency and quality as your corporation grows, ensuring no corners are cut and that you’re getting a maximum ROI.
Access to Digital Analytics and Global SEO Capabilities
Large corporations often target a plethora of different groups across the world. It is imperative that your corporate SEO agency is able to target market segments around the globe with pinpoint accuracy. Targeting specific languages is another aspect of global SEO that many large corporations miss out on.
Staying in the loop is essential for corporations that have to answer to shareholders and board members. By providing you with access to key performance indicators (KPIs), website analytics, and online marketing reports, executives can make data-driven decisions that ultimately generate revenue for their business.
Offers SEO Audits and Customizable Solutions
Whether you’re just beginning to work with an SEO agency or you’ve been a client for years, it is imperative to implement SEO audits at the corporate level. With large competitors constantly innovating and improving their online presence, conducting regular SEO audits ensures that your marketing plan is in working order and generating the results needed.
Large corporations can be quite complex and have their eyes set on very specific markets and goals. Look for an SEO agency that has a proven track record of developing industry-disrupting marketing solutions for clients in the form of case studies and testimonials from past or current clients.
Work with the Top SEO Agency
Choosing an SEO agency can be a daunting task, as the world of web development and online marketing is a complicated one. By following the guidelines listed above, you’re sure to find an agency that can make your business’ SEO goals a reality.
Simple SEO Group is a Chicago-based SEO agency with over 15 years of industry experience in local, corporate, and national SEO campaigns. We pride ourselves on being a results-driven agency, evident in our 97% client retention rate and 450% average ROI. With a team of 30+ SEO experts featured in major publications such as Forbes and the Wall Street Journal, we’ve cumulatively generated well over nine figures in SEO-based revenue for our clients.
Are you or someone you know looking to improve their online presence through SEO? Reach out to us online, by email, or by phone. One of our dedicated account managers will be in touch with you shortly to schedule a free consultation with our experts. Take the next step in enhancing your online business today by working with an SEO agency!